Coal cutting or loading machine



NOV. 10, 1953 J QUQNIAM 2,658,739 COAL CUTTING 0R LOADING MACHINE FiledApril 1, 1950 50 M 7 25 7.9 22 75 b I. .9

Fig-I T 1 In venfor f Jean MQMFMQMWWW7 Patented Nov. 10, 1953 COALCUTTING OR LOADING MACHINE Jean Maurice Quoniam, Heinitz, Sarre, France,

assignor to Regle des Mines dela Sarre, Sarrebruck, France ApplicationApril 1, 1950, Serial N 0. 153,379

Claims priority, application France April 15, 1949 6 Claims. (01.262-30) This invention relates to machines for cutting and loading coalor other extracted material, and has for its object to provide anarrangement for transforming, at the point of operation, a coal cuttingmachine into a machine for loading the coal brought down on thecoal-face, with a View to doing away with the various operations thatwould otherwise have to be effected, namely: withdrawing the cutterbackwards in a manner to by-pass the coal loading machine, placing thelatter upon the runway and moving it ahead close to the coal-face, andthe reversed operations, after loading, to clear the passage and bringthe cutter back toits working position. These operations get still morecomplicated when it .is necessary to cause the cutter and loader boomsto pivot by reason of the fact that the accessgalleries are narrowerthan the coal-face under attack,

All these operations, resulting from the use of two distinct machines,are obviated with the arrangement proposed, in which the loading boom isthe boom of the cutter itself transformed on the point of operation intoa loading machine by mounting on the latter named boom a paddle chainintended to convey the coal (or other extracted material), over therunway on which the cutter is displaced, into hauling means disposed onthe other side of this runway with reference to the loading boom, oralong its axis to bring the coal toward the front of the machine,

In order that the cutter boom may perform this loading role, it isinclined toward its remote end by transversely inclining the main bodyof the cutter, the driving means of which are utilized for actuating theconveying chain which replaces the cutting chain.

This inclination may be obtained by any appropriate means, such as forexample hydraulic means or prismatic wedges fixedly interposed betweenthe cutterbody and a carriage serving to displace the cutter upon theground or on rails, or alternatively on section irons forming the frameof haulage way. This arrangement is completed by securing to theunderside of the cutter boom, thus inclined, a deflector which has itslower edge disposed parallel to, and at a short distance from, theground and which forces the coal to rise toward the chain when thecutterlcader is advanced along the coal-face with the aid of the meanswhich served to advance the cutter prior to its transformation. The coalis then dragged along by the chain and rises so as to pass over therunway and the elevated portion constituted by the carriage which islocated at the forward end of the cutter (this portion may be adjustedin the transformation, if the carriage sticks out insuificiently whenthe cutter is operated as such), and to fall onto coal removing meanssuch as a wagon or conveyor, placed sidewise, thus being automaticallyloaded. In order to prevent the coal, elevated by the deflector, frompassing over the boom, the latter is provided, on its top, with aseparating ridge formed from sheet metal. In order to permit the loadingboom to incline forwardly so as to diminish the width of the loadingfront, which may be necessary for example if coal-winning be locallyincomplete, there is provided an opening in the forward wall of thedeflector close to the cutter. This opening is closed by means of asuitable curved body conveniently secured to the cutter carriage andadapted to prevent the coal, elevated by the deflector, from passingthrough the gate.

Behind its separating ridge the loading boom is provided with a sheetmetal part secured thereto and taking the form of a downwardly openenclosure to protect the miners from being injured by the chain paddlesin motion.

In order that the invention may be more clearly understood, the samewill now be described by referring to the accompanying dia grammaticdrawings which show, by way of example, an arrangement embodying theinvention and in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view showing the arrangement transversely ofthe cutter body;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line X--Y of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a plan view corresponding to Figs. 1 and 2.

Referring to these drawings, it will be seen that designated by thereference numeral I is the cutter body housing the driving means andother mechanisms of the cutter, while designated by the referencenumeral 2 is the cutter boom pivoting about the axis 3.

In the. arrangement according to the invention, this boom is providedwith a chain 4 carrying paddles 5, which chain replaces the cutter chainand is driven in the same way as was the cutter chain by the cuttermechanism, in the direction of the arrow 6.

The body I is stationarily inclined on the carriage l by means ofinterposed wedges 8 having their friction angles fixed or variable withthe aid of screwing or hydraulic means or any other means. The assemblycomprising the parts i, 1 and 8 is slidably displaceable on rails 110.The

In order to prevent the coal from passing under the boom '2 and force itto be driven between the chain paddles 5, there is provided along theboom 2 a deflector l5 madeof "a frontally concave or bent metal sheet,stiffened by gussets I6 and secured to the underside of the boom bymeans of a plate I! and bolts 18.

The lower edge of the deflector i5 is situatedat a constant distance (h)from the ground, and the height thereof, of course, increases towardthe-cutter *body I In order'that the boom 2 may be oriented as abovestated, by being turned about the axis 3, it is necessary to providethedeflector 15, at its elevatedend, with an opening [9, such as shown inthe drawings, for permitting the boom to turn through the-largestpossible angle, when the machine'is operated as loader.

Inorder to close this opening and permit the coa'l-to passup and overthe carriage i and runway [0, there is secured to the carriage l aclosing body, made of sheet metal for example' In'order to reduce tominimum and render constant the clearances between said closing body andthe-opening l9 provided in the deflector 55, it is expedient to formthis body with a conicalupper portion '22, having for its axis the axis3, anda hyperboloidal lower portion 23 accommodated to theconicalportion 22. Such a construction of the portions 22 and 23 permitsthe contour of the opening to bedefined by two con-' secutive straightlines. In this way there is obtaineda body'more favorable, for closingthe opening and guiding the coal displaced ahead of the upper portion ofthe deflector, than a body formed by two conjugated conical surfaces.

The lower edge of the body portion 23 lies in a horizontal plane passingat the theoretical distanoe-Jt from the ground maintained by thesupporting part 9.

The coal elevated along the deflector I5 is prevented from passing overthe boom '2 by means of a sheet metal ridge, for example in theform of aroof having two slopes '24 and 25, as shown. This ridge is secured tothe upper faceof the boom by means of bolts, which may be the aforesaidbolts [8, passing through the ridge bottom 26. i

A recessZ'I' is provided for the passage and the operation of theconnecting bar H.

The front part 24 of the ridge is removable to afford free access to thenuts of bolts l8.

The rear part 25 of the ridge receives, afilxed thereto, a sheet metalpart 28 bent downwards overlthe rearpaddles 5 of chain 4 and intended toprevent the miners from being injured by the chain paddles in motion.

The operation of the arrangement is readily understandable from theforegoing. The cutter, being easily equipped at the siteofoperationuwith the various parts transforming the sameintothecutter-loader, is pushed ahead in the direction of the arrow I4 againstthe coal brought down and cut. The latter, being elevatedWith -theaid-of the parts [5, 22, 23 and driven by the chain paddles 5 in thedirection of the arrow 6, may pass in the direction of the arrow 20,over the runway l0 and carriage I, to fall upon coal removing meansplaced by the side of the machine, as at 30, or it may be stopped by asheet metal part (not shown) secured to the machine plumb -like fashionon the left (or right) side of the runway l 0 which serves as the trackfor the machine.

' Modifications may be effected in the particularconstructions;described and shown, without substantially departing fromthe spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, for example, the deflectorl5, ridge 2425 and closing body 2'223 may take the forms varying withinlarge limits, particularly in respect to their curvatures, magnitudesand fastening means.

Also, the paddles 5 may take any form, magnitude and spacing suitablefor driving coal, provided that they may, together with the chainsupporting and driving them, bemounted-with facility on the cuttingboom,- in lieu ofthe cut ter chain, and similarly actuated,

What is claimed is:-

1. A combination coal cutting and coal loading machine adapted to betransformed alternately for cutting and for loading at the siteofoperations, comprising a carriagega boom pivoted'to said carriageandinclined downwardly toward'its' free end to rest upon the'mine' floorsubstantially only at said "free end, said boom havinga coal engagingforward side and a rear side, an endless coal conveying paddlechainremovably mount-'- able upon said boom, said boom'bei'ng constructed tosupport alternately said endless coal conveying paddle chainandan'andless" coalcutting chain, said paddle chainand'said cutting chainbeing adapted to be temporarily'securedto and removed from said boom atwill and to be driven by the same driving means, coal deflecting meansrigidly but removably secured "to said "boom on the coal-engagingside-thereof for cooperating With'the conveying chain paddlesto elevate-the coal gradually to 'a discharge pointat the pivoted end of saidboomand substantially above'the free end thereof, coal separating means:rigidly but removably mounted on the top surface of the boom forpreventing the coal from passing over the boom, protectivemeans on therearside of said boomrigid with said separating' means for protectingthemi-ners from injury by thepaddles of the paddle chain, -extensiblemeans pivotally connecting said boom with said carriage: to 'hold theboom inpredetermined position, an opening in said deflecting means attheupperend thereof to permit pivotal movement of the 'boom, and closingand guiding means: fixed to said carriage for filling said opening toprevent coal'from passlng thereinto and to guide the coal aheadof theopening.

2. A machine as definedin claim-'1, wherein said deflectingmeanscomprises a frontally concave reinforced sheet metal member removablysecured to the underside ofthe boom having'its lower edgedisposedsubstantiallyat a constant distance from the ground and having' -itsupper portion increasing in height gradually toward the upper end of theboom.

ii. A machine as defined-in claim'l, wherein sa d separating meanscomprises a double-slope roof-like ridge removably secured tothe upperside of the boom.

f1. A machine as defined in claim 1, wherein said protective meanscomprises a plate bent downwardly over the paddles at the free end ofthe boom.

5. A machine as defined in claim 1, wherein said extensible meanscomprises telescoping tubular members.

6. A machine as defined in claim 1, wherein said closing and guidingmeans comprises a body having a conical upper portion arranged with itsaxis coincident with the axis about which the boom is pivoted and a.hyperbolic lower portion.

JEAN MAURICE QUONIAM.

References Cited in the file of this patent Number UNITED STATES PATENTS

